GAUTENG Marathon Championships took place on Saturday and Sunday May 10 and 11 at Homestead Dam, home of the Ekurhuleni Kayak Canoe club, which provided the trials for selection of the Gauteng team for the S A Marathon Championships, a national interprovincial event, which takes place at the same venue on the weekend of June 7 and 8.
Saturday saw the K1 paddlers pit their strength, fitness and endurance against each other in single canoes, which also included the guppy paddlers between six and 12 years of age, while Sunday was the doubles championships (K2).
Mike Howard, one of the oldest members of the Johannesburg Canoe Club based at Wemmer Pan, and retired at over 65 years, competed in the Great Grand Master age category in both the K1 and the K2 discipline, and is in peak condition as he trains for the SA Marathon event, as he usually also participates in the four day 240km Berg River race in the Western Cape in July annually.
Howard finished the single race race in 2:3 minutes in a single canoe, while he doubled up with John Rowan from Bedfordview to race the doubles event on Sunday, finishing as the winning Great Grand Master age category (Over 65)!
Among the younger competitors was top performer from South Joburg, Forest Town high School pupil Alex Masina, who managed to stay with the top ten finishers in the K1 category, finishing in ninth position in a time of 1:50 minutes as the first u. 16 winner, while on Sunday he competed in the K2 race with Andrew Shuter from Northcliff to win the under 16 race again.
